The Bigger Picture

A recent investigative exercise, across the whole country, examined about 500 planning applications that went to appeal. It suggested that Inspectors are approving the majority of these appeals, based on “sustainability”. This in turn suggests that government pressure to build houses is intense.  

There is without doubt a housing problem: The Government has determined that we need to build 250,000 houses each year, 68% (170,000 houses) of this requirement is to accommodate the direct and indirect effect of net migration. Last year there were 143,560 housing starts. Simple arithmetic explains the very real need for a substantial increase in house building to the levels determined by government. To put this in context, Birmingham has a housing stock of 425,000, so we need to build the equivalent of a Birmingham every 1.7 years for the next twenty years to manage our population increase. A sobering thought.

Ecotricity Plans for our Parish

I see that Eastington Parish Council (EPC) commissioned a consultancy assessment of the transport part of this planning application. The EPC report highlights some very worrying approaches taken by Ecotricity to promote their application. I strongly recommend that residents read this report available on the EPC web site.

It is also of interest that the transport consultancy used by Ecotricity is the same consultancy used by Hitchens to support the West of Stonehouse (WoS) application.  The application is not supported by Stroud District Council’s Local Plan, which was so recently approved by full Council.

With all our District Councillors up for election it would be good to know where they stand on this application. Of course many in the Parish are opposed to this plan but as the EPC transport assessment demonstrates, the threat to the main arterial road to Stroud, Stonehouse and beyond is far greater than Ecotricity suggest. Stroud struggles as a retail and employment centre; further traffic congestion on the A419 in addition to WoS could result in an irreversible decline of both retail and employment.  I am personally very disappointed that Stonehouse Town Council has chosen to support this planning application given that there is no benefit to the Town, only harm in terms of access.

It remains of the utmost importance that residents submit their views to SDC on this application. The EPC transport assessment and the Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) objection provide useful information to guide your response. Both of these documents are available on the website new-town.info  

EPC deserve considerable recognition for commissioning the Transport Report and also a Planning Consultancy Report that I believe will be on the EPC Website shortly.

Daniel James | Don’t Strangle Stroud (DSS)